9. For this is what the lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard.
10. “When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has the lord decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the lord our God?’
11. “Then you will give them the lord’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word.
12. And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me.
13. So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night—and I will grant you no favors!’